Relay for Life set for July 20

Every 73 seconds someone hears the dreadful words: “You have cancer.” If you can, imagine the shock, horror and sadness that accompany that diagnosis. Will I die? Will I be cured? Hope is what they cling to in order to survive.

Relay For Life of Carlton County-Cloquet, provides that hope to cancer survivors, their families and friends. The Cloquet event is scheduled for July 20 at Veterans Park.

Relay For Life began in 1985 with Dr. Gordy Klatt walking the track in Tacoma, Wash. He raised $27,000 by having friends donate $25 to walk with him. In 1986, 19 teams started the first of thousands of Relay for Life events.

Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It’s a life-changing experience. At Relay, every person in the community has a chance to celebrate, remember, and fight back. Every person who participates joins others around the globe as part of this worldwide movement to end cancer.

Everyone’s reason to participate is as unique as their own personal story. At Relay, you can find healing, comfort and support from others who have faced cancer or who have lost a loved one to the disease. You have a chance to meet people in the community who are equally as passionate about finding an end to cancer in our lifetime. You can thank all the people who have done so much to support you through your personal cancer experience. Plus you can gather together with friends, family and colleagues to laugh, cry and create lasting memories.

No matter why you take part in Relay, however, one thing is clear: with every step you take, you are helping the American Cancer Society save lives. With your help, we aren’t just fighting one type of cancer – we’re fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. Each person who shares the Relay experience can take pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones or claim another year of anyone’s life.

Relay For Life of Carlton County-Cloquet has raised over $500,000 which benefits cancer survivors with programs such as Hope Lodge, free housing at Mayo Clinic, and University of Minnesota for outpatient services; Look Good Feel Better, which provides make up and skin care tips as well as wigs to cancer patients; Reach to Recovery, which links breast cancer survivors to those newly diagnosed; Road to Recovery, which provides free transportation to cancer treatments; and the Navigator Program housed at the Cancer Center at Essentia Health in Duluth.

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

If you would like to participate in the Relay For Life or volunteer in other ways, contact Jean Cyronek at jean.cyronek@cancer.org or 218-245-2048.

Tags: life, health